Screws in your wall can kill you

gondo said:
Must’ve been a big wire that was hit. A 15 or 20 amp circuit which is most commonly used for lights and plugs shouldn’t kill someone by only touching one phase. If the screw hit multiple conductors then the breaker should’ve tripped. I’ve had to fix this issue at work with shelving guys using 3” screws to mount tiny closet shelving. When I discover the problem screw I used to purposely touch it just to see how good of a shock it would give me. It was never bad one.

The only other possibility is it was 347V which is the real killer.
Click to expand...
Could it have hit knob and tube wiring or some similar dated system like a broken fuse box and thus circumvented the failsafe a modern system would have to break the circuit?
 
jeff7b9 said:
Could it have hit knob and tube wiring or some similar dated system like a broken fuse box and thus circumvented the failsafe a modern system would have to break the circuit?
Click to expand...

If it was an interior wall it could’ve been through the back of the panel. It’s hard to do but I’ve seen it before. You’ve got to push really hard to getting the panel. Only other option was into the main service.
I’ve seen some shoddy work both in person and in training videos so it’s really hard to guess without even a picture of the rack that killed her.

Just remembered that some brands of electrical panels have a long history of breakers not tripping. Ever. Federal Pioneer is the most common. They won’t trip until they suddenly do and it can be a pretty decent explosion. Thankfully most of those brands are discontinued.
 
gondo said:
If it was an interior wall it could’ve been through the back of the panel. It’s hard to do but I’ve seen it before. You’ve got to push really hard to getting the panel. Only other option was into the main service.
I’ve seen some shoddy work both in person and in training videos so it’s really hard to guess without even a picture of the rack that killed her.

Just remembered that some brands of electrical panels have a long history of breakers not tripping. Ever. Federal Pioneer is the most common. They won’t trip until they suddenly do and it can be a pretty decent explosion. Thankfully most of those brands are discontinued.
Click to expand...
Yeah. I have learned to fear Federal from home inspectors and a few contractors i have worked with.
 
jeff7b9 said:
Yeah. I have learned to fear Federal from home inspectors and a few contractors i have worked with.
Click to expand...
After skimming through the only article I could find on her death I get the impression it was an old house so outdated or even non existent protective devices is a real possibility. You can use pennies or folded up pieces of tinfoil to replace a blown fuse in old knob and tube houses.
 
Fedorgasm said:
I wonder how she died then.

Maybe the rack was metal and grounded somehow?
Click to expand...
Its possible the oulet it went to had the neutral tied to ground. Ive seen it for old wiring where there is no ground, its not safe, but if you need it to pass inspection when doing a remodel, it can trick the ground testers.
 
Fedorgasm said:
I just heard a story about this musician, maybe some of you have heard of him, from a band called herbaliser, lost his wife because they had some kind of rack on the wall and the screws that held it up made contact with the wiring inside the wall. When she touched the rack, it electrocuted her.

Now I'm paranoid. I've hung a ton of things on my walls with screws, how do I know I never screwed into a hot wire?
Click to expand...
Use a stud finder, you'll be fine
 
gondo said:
For those that are worried about this issue at home. To get a serious poke from a live wire you need to also be touching the ground or neutral at the same time creating a difference in potential. 120v isn’t bad depending on where the wires make contact on your body. 240v makes you feel little pain but a very slight out of body experience is the best way I can explain it. You have to touch both wires at the same time of a 240v circuit to get a real 240v poke. 347v is commercial/industrial use. If you grab a 347v line your body locks up and you can’t let go. That’s why it’s the killer voltage. As you increase the voltage when you get poked it shoots you backwards minimizing your time getting electrocuted. It will still seriously mess you up but you still have a chance to survive.
Click to expand...

120v with a moderate amp can be fatal. Amps for the most part is what kill you
 
Streeter said:
That why you pipe your electric. When you cheap it with Romex it's alot less safe an tough to re wire of needed.
Click to expand...
lol.

No home builder uses conduit indoors, and Romex ain’t what I’d call cheap
 
Batjester said:
Every one I've ever used has sucked.

The absolute best stud finder I've ever used in 20+ years of construction is a simple magnetic stud finder.
Click to expand...

Thats nit finding the wire though lol.
 
gondo said:
Must’ve been a big wire that was hit. A 15 or 20 amp circuit which is most commonly used for lights and plugs shouldn’t kill someone by only touching one phase. If the screw hit multiple conductors then the breaker should’ve tripped. I’ve had to fix this issue at work with shelving guys using 3” screws to mount tiny closet shelving. When I discover the problem screw I used to purposely touch it just to see how good of a shock it would give me. It was never bad one.

The only other possibility is it was 347V which is the real killer.
Click to expand...

It takes like 50 mA through the heart to kill you. A breaker isn't going to protect you. It protects wiring and equipment.
 
CatchnShoot said:
lol.

No home builder uses conduit indoors, and Romex ain’t what I’d call cheap
Click to expand...
My place is conduit. So is all the homes where I live and all were built last 15 years. Maybe not where you are but plenty use pipe and wire in Chicago and NWI.

Romex might not be "cheap " but it is cheaper especially considering labor. But as a Electrician I definitely wouldn't want a house with romex.
 
Prefect said:
It takes like 50 mA through the heart to kill you. A breaker isn't going to protect you. It protects wiring and equipment.
Click to expand...
I know. Grabbing a live 120v wire sends zero current through you. Unless you’re grounded. It’s a little zap. I intentionally grab wires to make sure they’re dead as I don’t have faith in my non contact voltage tester and I occasionally get zapped. It’s absolutely nothing. I’d rather take a tiny zap then have all the wires make contact with each other while I’m terminating them and create a tiny explosion.
 
Streeter said:
My place is conduit. So is all the homes where I live and all were built last 15 years. Maybe not where you are but plenty use pipe and wire in Chicago and NWI.

Romex might not be "cheap " but it is cheaper especially considering labor. But as an Electrician I definitely wouldn't want a house with romex.
Click to expand...
It’s based entirely on location. It’s Romex where I live but we call it Loomex/Heatex. I know in places like New York it’s all conduit because of the rat problem and down in Venezuela it’s a single Romex 12/2 free air connection servicing houses. I have a former coworker that lived there a few years ago.
 
gondo said:
It’s based entirely on location. It’s Romex where I live but we call it Loomex/Heatex. I know in places like New York it’s all conduit because of the rat problem and down in Venezuela it’s a single Romex 12/2 free air connection servicing houses. I have a former coworker that lived there a few years ago.
Click to expand...
Well thanks fella's that's one to learn from. I thought the code was the code..... derp on me.
 
gondo said:
If it was an interior wall it could’ve been through the back of the panel. It’s hard to do but I’ve seen it before. You’ve got to push really hard to getting the panel. Only other option was into the main service.
I’ve seen some shoddy work both in person and in training videos so it’s really hard to guess without even a picture of the rack that killed her.

Just remembered that some brands of electrical panels have a long history of breakers not tripping. Ever. Federal Pioneer is the most common. They won’t trip until they suddenly do and it can be a pretty decent explosion. Thankfully most of those brands are discontinued.
Click to expand...
I guess we now know what you do for a living.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Latest posts

Forum statistics

Threads
1,237,460
Messages
55,492,925
Members
174,789
Latest member
Jahmaltheknight

Share this page

Back
Top